The Lord of Darkness
by J.A.Phillips
Summary: He thought it was all a trick. He thought his brother couldn't have possibly returned from the grave. He was wrong. Rated PG-13 just to play it safe, though probably unnessassary.


NOTE: I do not own any of the wrestlers involved in this story. This work is the novelization of the Undertaker-vs.-Kane match at WrestleMania XX. I wrote this because A) I had some free time, and B) I thought the action was decent, the entrance of the Phenom was UNBELIEVABLE, and the thoughts going through Kane's mind at the time were pretty…Well, let's just say he was seriously freaked out! Enjoy!  
  
"…Oh, YESSSSSS!!!"  
  
Kane immediately recognized the high-pitched voice that came through on the loud-speakers, so everyone in the barely lit insides of Madison Square Garden could hear it. It was a voice that sent his mind back to memories long since neglected.  
  
Kane paced back and forth in the ring, never once taking his eyes off the stage. Soon enough, he saw light emerge from the backstage area. Several men were lead to the ring by a bloated, hideous looking man. Kane knew the man too well, for it was Paul Bearer, and he was carrying an urn in his hands. The men behind him were all clothed in black hooded robes, and they were all carrying large torches that lit the arena. They chanted a dark song that could be heard all around.  
  
'…The Monks of Darkness…' Kane thought to himself.  
  
Kane watched on as the eight monks stood along the ramp, holding their torches up in an arch-like form. Bearer walked up close to the ring, a disturbing frown on his face.  
  
"You're no son of mine!!!" he screamed.  
  
As if Kane had truly cared. He'd been glad that Bearer had been gone, but now all that bothered him was that he once again had to listen to his shrunken down father's annoying chattering.  
  
As Bearer turned around, Kane looked up to where his father was looking: The stage. Kane had to admit, he'd been in the business for a while, and he'd never seen an entryway quite as impressive as the one that stood before him. The floor which the superstars walked upon was actually it's own Titan-Tron.  
  
However, it wasn't the stage itself that Kane and Bearer were looking at. Bearer stood there, waiting for the monks' chant to finish. He cleaned off the urn as he waited. Smoke began to coat the floor of the ramp.  
  
Kane only frowned, expecting nothing to happen. For the past two months, Kane had been haunted by his brother, the Undertaker, whom he'd buried alive last November at the Survivor Series. Kane disbelieved it could truly be 'Taker sending the cryptic messages, challenging Kane to a match at WrestleMania, but the Big Red Monster thought that demanding the match from Vince McMahon would be the perfect way to put whomever it was that was playing mind games with him in their place.  
  
Suddenly, the monks stopped chanting, and the arena grew darker still, even though the torches were still lit. Bearer sneered as he held up the urn in the direction of the stage.  
  
Kane only shook his head. 'Does he expect me to believe-'  
  
GOONNGG!!  
  
Kane's train of thought was broken as a loud gong could be heard, followed by the cheering of the thousands of fans in the arena. Bearer laughed, but Kane only continued to pace back and forth, his eyes fixed on the stage.  
  
CLASH!!  
  
Lightning struck an abandoned part of the arena, as sweat dripped down Kane's forehead.  
  
GOONNGG!!  
  
The gong sounded again, followed by Undertaker's old music, 'Graveyard Symphony'. Kane had expected 'You're Gonna Pay', but if this song was playing, then…  
  
'It's a trick!' he thought over and over again. 'It must be a-'  
  
The crowd roared as suddenly, a figure appeared onstage. He wore all black, a long leather coat, boots, gloves, leather pants, a tank top, and a black western hat. His face was hidden underneath the hat, until he looked up a little, and his face was revealed.  
  
'No!' Kane' mind screamed out. 'There's no way!'  
  
It was the Undertaker. Not Mark Calloway. Kane HAD buried HIM alive, killing the American Badass, but as had happened on previous occasions, the Undertaker's spirit seemed to manifest itself into flesh once again. Kane had simply believed that this time, 'Taker's past would be so far behind him, that he would be unable to do so again. He was wrong.  
  
'Taker walked down the ramp, as his monks raised their torches so he could pass underneath them. As he got closer, Kane took note that underneath his hat and coat, he wore the exact same attire as he had when he'd been buried. The only difference was that on one pant leg, his old Undertaker symbol was lightly emblazoned. His hair was slightly longer than it had been, and was now almost completely black. The biggest difference in him was his eyes. It was in his eyes that showed that he had regained all his former power, all his strength, all his dominance over the shadow he'd had years before.  
  
Bearer, still laughing, stepped aside as Undertaker walked close to him. The Deadman slowly walked up the stairs, stopping just before entering the ring. He raised his arms up, and tilted his head backwards. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and suddenly the lights came back up to normal.  
  
Undertaker walked into the ring, and the Monks dismissed themselves to the backstage area. Kane looked on in horror as 'Taker removed his hat and coat. From the tone of his skin, Kane could tell that his brother was only actually brought back to he realm of the living recently. He'd been mocking Kane from beyond the grave all this time, waiting for his strength to return. On a normal day, Kane would be infuriated by this, but the horror of the Lord of Darkness' return had sunk in too deeply to get over it right away.  
  
Kane shook his head, unable to grasp the fact that his brother stood just mere feet away from him. It couldn't be that after Kane's months of celebration after being rid of his brother that he should come face to face with him at the one place and time the Undertaker was at his strongest: WrestleMania.  
  
"…Y-You're…" Kane stammered. "…You're…not REAL!!!"  
  
Kane's anger melded with his horror and confusion, as he repeated those words. Slowly, he walked up to what he believed was a mirage of his brother, his hand extended.  
  
'It must be a trick!' Kane told himself. 'Bearer must be trying to trick me!'  
  
As Kane got close, his hand was getting nearer and nearer. Soon enough, to the dismay of Kane, his hand touched Undertaker's chest. The contact left Kane in shock.  
  
Unfortunately for Kane, it also didn't last for long, as a punch sent him flying backwards.  
  
Much of what followed next was a blur to Kane. His animalistic instincts took over as the fight went on. He only remembered getting hit hard by 'Taker over and over again. At times, Kane would obtain a slight advantage, but as was with many of the their battles, Undertaker had a clear advantage over his younger brother, both physically and mentally.  
  
The next time Kane's true consciousness kicked in, it was when he'd been able to get his hands on his brother's throat. Using the technique he and his brother and known for countless years, Kane grabbed 'Taker's back with his free hand and lifted his 300 pound older brother into the air, then slamming him down hard. The Chokeslam, it was known as.  
  
Kane fell to his hands and knees, his confidence returning. He smashed his fists into the mat.  
  
"I told you not to come back, 'Taker!!!" he screamed.  
  
He laughed as he looked at his father Paul Bearer, who'd remained at ringside.  
  
"Look at your Undertaker now!!!" he yelled, laughing more and more evilly.  
  
He walked to the other side of the ring, his hands raised, laughing triumphantly. He'd won, he knew he had. He turned around to pin Undertaker and officially win the match.  
  
But 'Taker was already sitting up, staring a hole through Kane. As he got to his feet, the realization of the truth dawned on Kane: Undertaker wasn't as strong as he had been years before. He was actually MUCH stronger! Kane didn't stand a chance against him now!  
  
'NO!!!' the Big Red Monster told himself. 'I will NOT be denied my victory against him!!!'  
  
Kane aimed a punch straight at his older brother's head, only to have it blocked and countered. Kane rocked back from Undertaker's punches, trying to get away. Seeking an opening, Kane kicked his brother hard in the chest, only to have it do little or no damage at all. Instead, 'Taker jumped up and knocked Kane flat on his back. Kane quickly got back up, only to have his throat grasped and to be Chokeslammed hard onto the mat.  
  
Kane was dazed to say the least, unable to get up at first. Eventually, Kane rolled over to the ropes and used them to bring himself shakily back to his feet. He turned around, hoping that this was all just a figment of his imagination and that his brother wasn't behind him. Once again wrong, Kane found himself turned upside down and having his head driven into the mat, hard.  
  
'Tombstone Piledriver…' he'd thought before his head hit, and then all went dark…  
  
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The fans cheered as the referee counted the 1-2-3, and Undertaker won the match. Not only had Undertaker won his 12th consecutive win at WrestleMania, remaining undefeated at the pay-per-view, but he'd finally settled the score with his younger brother.  
  
'At least for now…' he thought to himself. 'Our paths will undoubtedly cross again, but when they do, it'll be no different. Kane, know that no matter what you do, I will NEVER rest in peace…'  
  
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A/N: Nice, huh? I've always been a huge fan of wrestling, and this match seemed like it'd make a good story to write. It's strange, though. I remember hating the Undertaker when I was young, because he scared most of the kids where I lived out of their socks. Growing up, though, I began to respect the Undertaker's skills, as he's now become not the evil entity I'd once thought him to be, but rather the conscience of Smackdown!  
  
Well, thanks for reading! I don't know if I'll ever write another fic for wrestling. I guess that'll depend on whether or not the reviewers liked it. I always give people what they want. 


End file.
